tlongII
02-02-2011, 11:32 AM
http://portlandtribune.com/sports/story.php?story_id=129662947720524800
LaMarcus Aldridge picked a good time to have a career night.
Aldridge scored a career-high 40 points and grabbed 11 rebounds as the Trail Blazers closed with a rush to beat San Antonio 99-86 Tuesday night at the Rose Garden.
On the opposing bench was Gregg Popovich, coach of the Western Conference team in the NBA All-Star Game Feb. 20 at Los Angeles. Coaches must submit their ballots for the seven reserves for the West team by Thursday morning. It’s safe to say Aldridge passed the late audition.
“He had a decent game, didn’t he?” Popovich said. “We held him to 40 or 35. I stopped counting after awhile ... he had a great game.”
Aldridge was defended part of the time by perennial All-Star Tim Duncan, who was asked afterward for his endorsement.
“Absolutely, I’d vote for him,” Duncan said. “He’s a forward, right? Yeah, I’d vote for him.”
The game was about more than Aldridge’s All-Star candidacy, of course.
It was about the Blazers (26-22) ending a two-game losing streak and beating the team with the league’s best record (now 40-8) without injured center Marcus Camby.
Biggest win of the season?
“It has to be,” Aldridge nodded. “This is the best team in the league. This is big for us, coming off two losses.”
And the Blazers did it by coming through in the clutch. The game was tied 78-78 with eight minutes to play, but Aldridge, Wesley Matthews and Andre Miller combined for all the remaining points as Portland outscored the visitors 21-8 the rest of the way.
“We were able to stay close,” Portland coach Nate McMillan said, “and in the fourth quarter, it was just execution.”
San Antonio led 50-41 late in the second quarter and went into intermission ahead 52-47 on the strength of its inside game. The Spurs outrebounded Portland 26-15 in the half, with 13 offensive rebounds, 20 second-chance points and 28 points in the paint. Center DeJuan Blair had 14 points and 11 boards at the break.
The Blazers corrected that in the second half, outrebounding San Antonio 22-11. The Spurs had three offensive boards, five second-chance points and 10 points in the paint in the half. Blair went scoreless with one rebound over the final 24 minutes.
“The first half, we did the things we needed except to rebound,” McMillan said. “We were forcing San Antonio to miss, but (the Spurs) were pounding us on the boards. Blair was just a monster. The second half, we did a better job.”
The Blazers “did a good job of sustaining their aggressiveness,” Popovich said. “We’ve had a good year by playing aggressively and executing well for more minutes than our opponents, but tonight the Blazers did that.
“They sustained in the second half better than we did. They kept working at it, and their phyisicality, their execution wore us down and we didn’t keep up.”
Aldridge scored 18 points in the first half and 22 points in the second. The 6-11 forward sank 16 of 23 shots from the field and 8 of 9 from the line, scoring in a variety of ways in his 44 minutes. He converted off put-backs and lob passes, off moves to the basket, off perimeter shots.
“We did a good job of mixing up the post and bringing him out on pick-and-rolls,” McMillan said. “He was making good decisions down there as well as scoring.”
Aldridge, sensational most of the past two months, had averaged only 13.0 points on 12-of-34 shooting in the last two games.
“They were tough games for him,” McMillan said. “Tonight he got back in the paint and was sealing and getting deeper post position.”
“I got into a pretty good rhythm tonight, but it was my teammates finding me when I was open,” Aldridge said.
The Blazers hadn’t played since last Thursday’s loss to Boston, giving the players some much-needed rest.
“I was joking with my teammates, ‘I actually have some energy tonight,’ “ Aldridge said. “I felt kind of fresh. It kind of showed.”
It was a timely performance for Aldridge, who has plenty of competition among West forwards for All-Star recognition.
“Against a team like that, what he did tonight?” Portland center Joel Przybilla said. “He has to be in the All-Star Game. If he doesn’t get voted in, it’s a shame.”
NOTES: Portland’s next action is Wednesday night at Denver. “It’s a real good win for this team, to beat the best team in the league,” McMillan said after the San Antonio game. “But as we’d do if we’d have dropped it, we get on the plane and there’s another game tomorrow.” ... San Antonio was opening its annual “rodeo” road trip — a nine-game, 17-day excursion while a rodeo occupies the Spurs’ AT&T Center. ... After scoring four points on 1-for-4 shooting in the first half, Matthews scored 17 points in the second half, making 7 of 12 shots, to finish with 21 points. ... Matthews was named Thursday to the Rookie-Sophomore game during All-Star Weekend. “It’s a blessing, a tremendous opportunity,” Matthews said. “I’m excited.” Matthews, Portland’s No. 2 scorer at 16.1 points a game, was undrafted out of Marquette. “Only God can create a story like this,” Matthews said. “I’m just trying not to mess it up.” ... Miller collected 18 points and nine assists, making 8 of 13 shots from the field. ... Blazer forward Chris Johnson, on a 10-day contract, saw his first action, going 2 for 2 at the line and scoring two points with two rebounds in four minutes.
Portland held San Antonio’s big three — Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker — to a combined 38 points. Ginobili was 6 for 18 from the field, Parker 3 for 11. ... Aldridge is averaging 25.7 points (on .525 shooting) and 10.3 rebounds since Dec. 15. ... Portland is 17-7 at home and 9-15 on the road. ... The Blazers have six of their last seven meetings with the Spurs. ... Portland has won 11 games when tied or trailing entering the fourth quarter, an NBA high. ... Popovich, before the game on the injuries the Blazers have dealt with in recent seasons: “It’s beyond resilence and persistence, what they’ve done here with the misfortunes they’ve had. The players, Nate and his group, have been absolutely terrific. I can’t imagine if we lost Timmy and Manu where we would be. They deserve a lot of credit for what they’ve done. They don’t want the credit; they just want to play and win. That’s why they’ve done so well. They don’t worry about it. They just go to the next step and compete. They take on whoever’s next on the schedule. I respect them very much for what they’ve done.”
LaMarcus Aldridge picked a good time to have a career night.
Aldridge scored a career-high 40 points and grabbed 11 rebounds as the Trail Blazers closed with a rush to beat San Antonio 99-86 Tuesday night at the Rose Garden.
On the opposing bench was Gregg Popovich, coach of the Western Conference team in the NBA All-Star Game Feb. 20 at Los Angeles. Coaches must submit their ballots for the seven reserves for the West team by Thursday morning. It’s safe to say Aldridge passed the late audition.
“He had a decent game, didn’t he?” Popovich said. “We held him to 40 or 35. I stopped counting after awhile ... he had a great game.”
Aldridge was defended part of the time by perennial All-Star Tim Duncan, who was asked afterward for his endorsement.
“Absolutely, I’d vote for him,” Duncan said. “He’s a forward, right? Yeah, I’d vote for him.”
The game was about more than Aldridge’s All-Star candidacy, of course.
It was about the Blazers (26-22) ending a two-game losing streak and beating the team with the league’s best record (now 40-8) without injured center Marcus Camby.
Biggest win of the season?
“It has to be,” Aldridge nodded. “This is the best team in the league. This is big for us, coming off two losses.”
And the Blazers did it by coming through in the clutch. The game was tied 78-78 with eight minutes to play, but Aldridge, Wesley Matthews and Andre Miller combined for all the remaining points as Portland outscored the visitors 21-8 the rest of the way.
“We were able to stay close,” Portland coach Nate McMillan said, “and in the fourth quarter, it was just execution.”
San Antonio led 50-41 late in the second quarter and went into intermission ahead 52-47 on the strength of its inside game. The Spurs outrebounded Portland 26-15 in the half, with 13 offensive rebounds, 20 second-chance points and 28 points in the paint. Center DeJuan Blair had 14 points and 11 boards at the break.
The Blazers corrected that in the second half, outrebounding San Antonio 22-11. The Spurs had three offensive boards, five second-chance points and 10 points in the paint in the half. Blair went scoreless with one rebound over the final 24 minutes.
“The first half, we did the things we needed except to rebound,” McMillan said. “We were forcing San Antonio to miss, but (the Spurs) were pounding us on the boards. Blair was just a monster. The second half, we did a better job.”
The Blazers “did a good job of sustaining their aggressiveness,” Popovich said. “We’ve had a good year by playing aggressively and executing well for more minutes than our opponents, but tonight the Blazers did that.
“They sustained in the second half better than we did. They kept working at it, and their phyisicality, their execution wore us down and we didn’t keep up.”
Aldridge scored 18 points in the first half and 22 points in the second. The 6-11 forward sank 16 of 23 shots from the field and 8 of 9 from the line, scoring in a variety of ways in his 44 minutes. He converted off put-backs and lob passes, off moves to the basket, off perimeter shots.
“We did a good job of mixing up the post and bringing him out on pick-and-rolls,” McMillan said. “He was making good decisions down there as well as scoring.”
Aldridge, sensational most of the past two months, had averaged only 13.0 points on 12-of-34 shooting in the last two games.
“They were tough games for him,” McMillan said. “Tonight he got back in the paint and was sealing and getting deeper post position.”
“I got into a pretty good rhythm tonight, but it was my teammates finding me when I was open,” Aldridge said.
The Blazers hadn’t played since last Thursday’s loss to Boston, giving the players some much-needed rest.
“I was joking with my teammates, ‘I actually have some energy tonight,’ “ Aldridge said. “I felt kind of fresh. It kind of showed.”
It was a timely performance for Aldridge, who has plenty of competition among West forwards for All-Star recognition.
“Against a team like that, what he did tonight?” Portland center Joel Przybilla said. “He has to be in the All-Star Game. If he doesn’t get voted in, it’s a shame.”
NOTES: Portland’s next action is Wednesday night at Denver. “It’s a real good win for this team, to beat the best team in the league,” McMillan said after the San Antonio game. “But as we’d do if we’d have dropped it, we get on the plane and there’s another game tomorrow.” ... San Antonio was opening its annual “rodeo” road trip — a nine-game, 17-day excursion while a rodeo occupies the Spurs’ AT&T Center. ... After scoring four points on 1-for-4 shooting in the first half, Matthews scored 17 points in the second half, making 7 of 12 shots, to finish with 21 points. ... Matthews was named Thursday to the Rookie-Sophomore game during All-Star Weekend. “It’s a blessing, a tremendous opportunity,” Matthews said. “I’m excited.” Matthews, Portland’s No. 2 scorer at 16.1 points a game, was undrafted out of Marquette. “Only God can create a story like this,” Matthews said. “I’m just trying not to mess it up.” ... Miller collected 18 points and nine assists, making 8 of 13 shots from the field. ... Blazer forward Chris Johnson, on a 10-day contract, saw his first action, going 2 for 2 at the line and scoring two points with two rebounds in four minutes.
Portland held San Antonio’s big three — Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker — to a combined 38 points. Ginobili was 6 for 18 from the field, Parker 3 for 11. ... Aldridge is averaging 25.7 points (on .525 shooting) and 10.3 rebounds since Dec. 15. ... Portland is 17-7 at home and 9-15 on the road. ... The Blazers have six of their last seven meetings with the Spurs. ... Portland has won 11 games when tied or trailing entering the fourth quarter, an NBA high. ... Popovich, before the game on the injuries the Blazers have dealt with in recent seasons: “It’s beyond resilence and persistence, what they’ve done here with the misfortunes they’ve had. The players, Nate and his group, have been absolutely terrific. I can’t imagine if we lost Timmy and Manu where we would be. They deserve a lot of credit for what they’ve done. They don’t want the credit; they just want to play and win. That’s why they’ve done so well. They don’t worry about it. They just go to the next step and compete. They take on whoever’s next on the schedule. I respect them very much for what they’ve done.”